This invention relates to oscillating-ring harrows, and in particular to such wherein the harrow rings are raisable and foldable for transport.
In my U.S. Pat. No. 3,700,036, issued Oct. 24, 1972, I disclose an oscillating-ring harrow having a pair of concentric rings with depending harrow points. The harrow rings are oscillatable in counterrotative directions to provide, with the harrow points extending into the ground, a ground-working action. For transport, the two harrow rings may be shifted manually between lowered, ground-working positions and raised transport positions. Further, the outer of the two rings may be shifted manually to a folded position.
A general object of the present invention is to provide, in an oscillating-ring harrow, a simple powered mechanism for shifting a harrow ring between a lowered, planar position and a raised, folded position.
More specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide, in a harrow having a pair of concentric harrow rings, powered mechanism for simultaneously shifting both rings between such positions.
It is another object of the present invention to provide, in an oscillating-ring harrow having a pair of concentric rings, powered mechanism for oscillatably driving the two rings counterrotatively.
The invention includes an elongate frame, and a pair of concentric harrow rings disposed below the frame for shifting between lowered, substantially planar positions and raised, folded positions. Each ring includes a pair of opposed central segments disposed below, and adjacent opposed end regions of the frame, and a pair of side segments which are pivotally attached to associated central segments for swinging between positions extending laterally of and upwardly relative to the frame. A pair of wing members mounted on opposed sides of the frame are shiftable, under the control of powered rams, between operative and transport positions. The wing members are coupled to associated side segments by cables which are slack when the members are in their operative positions. As the wing members are swung from their operative toward their transport positions, slack in the cables is taken up, causing the side segments to be drawn toward the associated wing members. The side segments are shifted thereby from their lowered, laterally extending positions, toward their raised, upwardly extending ones, and the two central segments are raised toward the lower surface of the frame.